Cycling in Valencia: 3 fun routes

With over 150 kilometers of cycle paths, most of which are quite flat, Valencia is one of the best cycling cities in Spain. Cycling through Valencia is the best way to discover the Spanish city. And you only have to pedal a few kilometers further and you are on the beach or in the Albufera Natural Park.

Pedal via Ciutat les Arts y les Ciencias to Valencia beach

Valencia’s most popular cycle route begins in the historic center. Start your bike ride at the old city gate Torres de Serranos and head into town from there. Soon you’ll want to get off your bike to drink an Aqua de Valencia on a terrace in the Plaza de la Virgen. Or to climb the more than two hundred steps of El Miguelete, the bell tower of Valencia Cathedral.

After another stop at the Archaeological Museum of Valencia or a lunch break at the Mercado Central, you cycle across the Ponte de Exposicion into the city park. Jardín del Turia stretches along the north and east of Valencia and stretches for a total of nine kilometers. You used to find the Turia River here, which overflowed so often that it was decided to drain it and turn it into a park.

If you follow the bike path through Jardín del Turia to the southeast, you will eventually arrive at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. You can easily dedicate an entire afternoon to the “city of arts and sciences”. Visit the Oceanogràfic, one of the largest aquariums in Europe, watch a 3D film or documentary in the Hemisfèric or take a look at the science museum, whose motto is “no touching”.

From Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias it is only four kilometers by bike to the beach in Valencia.

How much does it cost to rent a bike in Valencia? You will find several owners in the center of Valencia. Prices vary, but you pay an average of ten euros for half a day and fifteen euros for a full day.

Bike path to the Albufera Natural Park

Prefer to get out of town by bike? Then turn south at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias and pedal towards the Albufera Natural Park. Along the southern beaches of Valencia, a route of more than twenty kilometers crosses the park. Put your bike aside for a boat trip on one of the largest freshwater lakes in Spain.

Of course, all that biking will make you hungry. Rest assured, a delicious plate of paella awaits you in the park. The village of El Palmar is located just south of the freshwater lake and is known for its fine restaurants serving this traditional dish. In Valencia, paella is a real dish in the air, so get on your bike early to be in Albufera around noon. Then you can join us again in Valencia in the evening for some tapas.

Follow the Vía Verdes north of Valencia

Is there any energy left? Then there is a nice cycle path that shows you the surroundings of Valencia. One of the Vía Verdes starts in the middle of town. These are old railway tracks in Spain that have been transformed into walking and cycling trails. The 24 km (round trip) Vía Xurra route begins at the Torre Miramar roundabout in the Benimaclet district. From here you head quickly into the countryside and cycle through the orange groves towards the monastery of Puig. After a visit to the monastery and the adjoining printing museum, turn back and cycle the last fifteen kilometers to Valence.

Willeke van Doorn studied journalism, traveled the world for a while and ended up working for Quest, National Geographic and Runner’s World editors via the US, Australia and New Zealand. She is curious about the world, prefers to travel every month and always takes her running shoes with her.